The long-term outcomes of early repolarization pattern and incidence of
early repolarization syndrome in a population-based cohort study
Abstract
Background : Early repolarization pattern (ERP) is associated with
long-term cardiovascular death. However, the incidence of early
repolarization syndrome ( ERS) has never been studied in a general
population-based cohort study. Purpose : To determine the prevalence and
long-term outcome of ERP as well as the incidence of ERS in a general
population-based cohort study. Methods : Participants from the
electricity generating authority of Thailand (EGAT) study during 1997 to
2015 were included. The outcomes included cardiovascular death,deaths
due to acute myocardial infarction, SCD, and all-cause mortality. A Cox-
proportional hazard model was used to determine the association between
ERP and the outcomes. Results: 2,689 participants with completed ECGs
and risk factor profiles were included for the analysis. Mean follow up
duration was 11.2±6.7 years. There were 444 participants with baseline
ERP. There were 566 deaths during the follow-ups; of these, 21 were SCD
including 6 ERS. The prevalence and incidence of ERS in our study was
0.22% and 0.20 per 1000 person-year. Overall, ERP was not associated
with an increased risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio
[HR]=1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI]:0.81 to 1.34; p =0.75).
However, ERP was associated with an increased risk of all-cause
mortality in the population ≤55 years old (HR=2.36; 95% CI:1.47-3.77; p
<0.01). Conclusion : The prevalence of ERP in the Thai
population was higher than the prevalence in other countries in Asia.
Our study supports previous studies that ERP is associated with a
long-term increased risk of all-cause mortality in the young-middle age
population.